A little more to say about Dubrovnik, Croatia. While I was in Dubrovnik I was staying at the old ladies house that found me at the bus stop and offered me a place to stay. They place was pretty cozy, I had my own apartment on the second floor of her house with a kitchen and everything where I was able to do some cooking and yes believe it or not I do cook from time to time. The place was great but man was the old lady a stick in the mud! I feel that somehow she missed hospitality school before she started inviting people to pay her for a place to stay. She was definitely the most impolite person I have ever met but other than that everything was great and it was well worth the money! It was about a 30 minute walk down the coast from her house to the city's "old town". I obviously had no idea what to expect when I reached the old town and came upon what I thought was a castle or a museum with an old draw bridge leading my way to the entrance, people were going in and coming out so I thought I would have a look for myself. Well it turns out that the "old town" is inside the old castle walls. My jaw dropped after I crossed the draw bridge and entered what seemed to be a whole new town of it's own with it's small streets lined with coffee shops, restaurants and clothing stores. Small corridors tucked between the stores would take you up the stairs to the houses and other small restaurants. I continued walking through the town in disbelief that it was completely surrounded by walls and yes, now I am a believer. It was a beautiful place and you must see it.

From Dubrovnik I took a bus to Mostar, Bosnia and was again encountered by someone offering a place to stay. It was a younger girl and her father they seemed decent so I thought sure why not? It's not like I had any other plans. I through my backpack in the trunk of their little 80 model two door red car and squeezed my way into the back seat and off we went! The price for the accommodations is $13 USd with a private room and bathroom on the second floor of their house. This is not a bad price for a place to lay your head, although when they invite you into their living room and serve you home made wine and a delicious home cooked meal it makes the price that much better! It was a red wine and the chicken and dumplings were very tasty. It was also served with Burek which is a dough stuffed with potatoes. You can also order it at a restaurant with cheese, spinach, meat or other stuffings. I was thinking this was quite a treat for the money I was spending on the accommodations and surely there was nothing else they would be able to offer but when I got out of the shower this morning there was a silver platter sitting on the floor outside my door with a cup of hot coffee and a Turkish delight waiting for me! Wow what an awesome treat to wake up to. Tonight on the silver platter I was served pasta with a side of pickled red pepper, bread and some type of spread to put on the bread which was delicious. These people have amazing hospitality skills...the woman of the house also washed and ironed all of my clothes for an extra $5 euro and trust me it was time for a good cleaning!

Comments

Wow! What wonderful hosts the girl and her father must have been!! I hope that you continue to be welcomed by such great folks. Have a wonderful day and keep the updates coming.

Kim
on Nov 8, 2011 at 04:11PM

I've been a little bit "out of the loop" the last few weeks and am just now catching up on your adventure. I love the fact that you're being invited into all these peoples' homes and lives. Of course, there will always be some who are only in it for the money. That's OK, too. But, for these folks who really do welcome you and serve you with the best they have to offer...what a blessing it is, not just to you, but to them. As awesome as your pictures are...and they are jaw-dropping!!...these stories about the people the Lord is putting in your path are my favorites. Thank you, SO MUCH, for sharing all of this with us.

When you talked about the walled city, it reminded me of Rhodes. I wish I'd done more walking around, off the beaten path, to see the parts of the village where the people lived....not just the area around the square. Seeing these pictures, I feel like I'm there.

We love you, Trenton, and miss you. Thank you for taking us on this fabulous journey with you!